Sri Lankan rupee coinage

Sri Lankan rupee coinage represents the modern currency minted for Sri Lanka, issued under the authority of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Known until 1972 as the Ceylonese rupee, the unit is subdivided into one hundred cents. Following the nation's adoption of a republican constitution, a distinct national coinage succeeded the earlier Ceylon series, dropping previous royal iconography and colonial emblems in favour of domestic republican insignia.

From 1972 onwards, regular circulating issues underwent several structural changes as lower denominations ceased production. In 1978, aluminium replaced nickel-brass for the five-cent and ten-cent pieces, whilst the one-cent and two-cent pieces were discontinued shortly thereafter. Higher denominations progressively entered circulation to replace paper currency, including cupro-nickel two-rupee and aluminium-bronze five-rupee coins in 1984. Denominations from one cent up to fifty cents eventually ceased minting and dropped out of circulation entirely. To economise on production and assist identification, circulating coins transitioned to electroplated steel, and in 2017 a complete new circulating series struck in stainless steel was introduced.

Coins minted from 1972 are distinguished by the Armorial Ensign of the Republic of Sri Lanka on the obverse. The reverse displays the denomination in numerals, accompanied below by the value written in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, the year of issue at the bottom, and the name of Sri Lanka rendered in Sinhala at the top. The central bank has also released various commemorative coins, including seven-sided two-rupee and ten-sided five-rupee pieces in 1976, square ten-rupee issues in 1987, bimetallic ten-rupee pieces in 1998, and special proof silver issues.